The Breaking Bad finale left critics divided. Though there was a big group of people who loved what creator Vince Gilligan decided to do with it, there were also many who felt a bit cheated and letdown by what they saw. Personally, it took a few viewings to grow on me but after some reflection and serious thought, I can safely say that I’m happy with what ended up happening to Walter White.
One person who doesn’t share that sentiment though is director Oliver Stone. Though he admits to not watching the show very much, he apparently did catch the finale and was not a fan of what he saw.
“I don’t know if you saw the denouement [of ‘Breaking Bad’], I happen to not watch the series very much, but I happened to tune in and I saw the most ridiculous 15 minutes of a movie – it would be laughed off the screen,” he told Forbes, adding: “Nobody could park his car right then and there and could have a machine gun that could go off perfectly and kill all of the bad guys! It would be a joke.”
Stone then commented on the violence that’s being shown today and how filmmakers should handle it, which is funny considering that the director is known for making some pretty extreme and violent films.
“It’s only in the movies that you find this kind of fantasy violence. And that’s infected the American culture; you young people believe all of this shit! Batman and Superman, you’ve lost your minds, and you don ‘t even know it! At least respect violence. I’m not saying don’t show violence, but show it with authenticity,” he said, adding: “…when you’ve reached this height of technology level of a Michael [Bay], of a ‘Transformers,’ I don’t understand the meaning of it and the reason for it, except that it appeals to some visual sense, some kinetic sense of dynamism and a need for action. But action is not always a solution, character is.”
These comments shouldn’t really surprise anyone, as Oliver Stone is known for stirring the pot quite often and not being afraid to speak his mind. He does have a point here though, the machine gun scene wasn’t exactly realistic, nor was it the show’s finest moment. Then again, Breaking Bad has always stuck pretty closely to reality and for Stone to judge it on that one scene, when he doesn’t even tune in regularly, is wrong.
What did you think of the machine gun scene in the Breaking Bad finale? Was it a bit too perfect? Let us know in the comments below.